SAME’s STEM/Engineering & Construction Camps Wrapping Up the 2024 Season!

STEM/Engineering & Construction Season Wrap-Up

SAME’s 2024 season of its STEM/Engineering & Construction Camps has come to a close. The final three camps of five STEM camps this summer ended in mid-July. Campers filled installations across the country to be led by dedicated volunteers challenging and guiding STEM focused students through activities and competitions. With a focus on the A/E/C industry, working professionals from industry and government took the motivated high school students through a week of hands on projects, lectures and team building exercises to understand what it might be like to pursue a career in the A/E/C profession through the lens of the armed services.

Find out more about SAME’s 2024 STEM/Engineering & Construction Camps season by reading the recaps of the U.S. Army Camp at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the inaugural STEM Camp at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida with the Mid-Summer STEM/Engineering & Construction Camp Round-Up.

SAME and the SAME Foundation help to coordinate the Engineering & Construction Camps and provide critical support for our Camps Mentor program, while the SAME Camps COI is instrumental in organizing and managing all of the behind-the-scenes details that keep the camps running smoothly. It takes a village, they say – in our case, it takes a community of dedicated volunteers.

U.S. Air Force Academy Camp, Colorado Springs, Colo.

On June 9th, the SAME/U.S. Air Force Academy Engineering & Construction Camp drew dozens of aspiring students to its popular STEM camp.

Active duty Air Force and industry professionals gathered in Colorado Springs to greet the students and guide them through a week of engineering, construction and design challenges.

On Sunday, campers arrived and got to know each other and the meet the volunteers before the week’s activities began.  Divided into groups called Flights, they participated in friendly competitions like building a doghouse and constructing a concrete beam for stress testing. The Flights toured the Academy, construction and geological sites and were even treated to a presentation by a former astronaut and current instructor at the Academy. After plenty of time to socialize and unwind with an ice cream social, BBQ and movie night, and even a talent competition, the students went to graduation where former mentor and current SAME President, Sharon Krock joined the celebration and concluded the week’s activities.

U.S. Marine Corps Camp, Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, N.C.

The U.S. Marine Corps SAME Engineering and Construction Camp at Camp Lejeune always takes their camp seriously!  True to the STEM Camp legacy, it proved to be a huge success.

Campers arrived at the famous Camp Lejeune and the enthusiastic volunteers kept them occupied with frisbee and basketball until they were formed into their squads. On Monday, the challenges began with the design and construction of a concrete beam. The rest of the week was packed with activities like the construction and testing of a Trebuchet, aviation technology, sandcastle construction competition, obstacle course, and onsite field trips. Of course, the annual favorite event, the cardboard boat competition involving its design, construction and race truly brings out the creativity and tests the competitive spirit of the squads.

The well planned week of activities included plenty of active downtime where the squads could really get to know each other. At the end of the week, students gathered for dinner and an awards ceremony before spending their last few hours together as squad mates and more importantly, as friends.

Naval Construction Battalion Center Camp, Port Hueneme, Calif.

Naval Construction Battalion Center Camp at Port Hueneme, Calif. welcomed students and wasted no time in welcoming them and getting their team building exercises underway. Once formed into squads, the week began under full steam.

Squads jumped right into their concrete beam design and construction, popsicle stick bridge design, and of course, what would a Navy Camp be without the popular cardboard boat build and race competition. The NAVSEA SeaPerch activity challenged campers to build and pilot an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Campers spent time at the Seabee Museum and at NAVAIR (Naval Air Station) Point Mugu, and VIPs shared experiences with the campers throughout the busy week. The STEM camp at Port Hueneme ended with the Seabee Olympics competition and later, the awards ceremony and dinner rounded out its very full, and very successful week.

SAME camps boast an impressive history of shaping thousands of future engineers and STEM leaders. These camps offer a challenging environment for students passionate about exploring STEM skills and careers and learning about the different paths available from high school to college and beyond. Each camp features a distinctive curriculum packed with hands-on activities conducted in competitive settings, fostering teamwork, leadership, project management, and problem-solving skills. Find out more here.